Pickled Onions

Let me ask a question - does any other country eat pickled onions, or is it a British thing? I can't remember if I ever saw them when I spent some time abroad, but to be honest, although I've always liked them I've only recently become obsessed with them!

If you've never had them, or even heard of them, they're definitely something to try if you like onions. Tart, crunchy and ever so slightly sweet, they go perfectly with a salad, sandwich, cheese or just as a quick snack - popping one straight out of the jar and into your mouth ;)



Pickled Onions

Ingredients:

500ml jar
300g pickling onions (or just tiny onions - these were about 1" diameter at the most)
1 tbsp sugar
White wine vinegar

Method:

1. Sterilise your jar. I just boiled mine along with the lid for about a minute.
2. Prepare onions - cut off the bottoms, and then make a slit in the side and peel off the skin and top layer of onion.
3. Put the tbsp of sugar into your jar, and add just enough boiling water to get all the sugar to dissolve.
4. Add onions to jar.
5. Add vinegar, ensuring that all onions are covered.
6. Store in a cupboard or pantry until ready to eat, leave them for at least two weeks so they can properly pickle themselves, but they will last for ages. My Mum used to always make hers at the beginning of October to eat at Christmas, and they'd last us for months.

Pickled Red Cabbage

When I was little, around September/October every year, my mum and Grandma would always make lots of different types of pickles for us to open up when Christmas came and that we would enjoy over Christmas and long into the winter. My favourite thing that they would make was always pickled red cabbage.

Tangy and sharp but delicious, it makes a great accompaniment to lots of dishes. If you've never had it before and can't imagine what it would be like, the closest thing I can think of is sauerkraut. It can be added to salad, and as a side on pretty much anything you can imagine! My favourite thing to have it with though, has to be a simple sandwich.

You need to make it in advance, and keep it in airtight jars for at least two weeks, but it will last for months afterwards. The recipe couldn't be simpler, either.

Pickled Red Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 head red cabbage
White wine or apple cider vinegar (appox 1 litre)
Salt
2x 1 litre sterilised glass jars with airtight lids
1 tsp sugar (optional)
Boiling water - just enough to dissolve sugar

Method:

Remove the outer leaves of cabbage and the stalk and finely slice - long, thin strips are best. Put in a big bowl and add the salt, mix it all together and then leave overnight. The next day, if using, add 1 tsp sugar to just enough boiling water to dissolve it - usually about 1/4 cup. Leave to cool completely. Rinse the shredded red cabbage in water to get rid of all the salt. Pack into your sterilised glass jars - you can pack it in quite tightly. Pour half of the sugar water into each jar, and then fill up with vinegar. You want the vinegar to go right to the top of the cabbage. You can use a fork and push the red cabbage just underneath the line of the vinegar. Close up the jars, and then store in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks before opening up and enjoying!